Since a fiery oil train derailment ten months ago in Mosier, Oregon, multiple oil-by-rail facilities have withered in the face of community opposition. Projects in Grays Harbor and Anacortes have been canceled. Just recently, the City of Vancouver ended the NuStar oil train proposal and has prohibited any future proposals in the City. And now the State of Washington is nearing a final decision on the Tesoro Savage project, a 360,000 barrel-per-day behemoth that would bring up to five loaded, dangerous oil trains per day through Vancouver.

To learn more about the status of the Tesoro Savage oil train terminal and to learn how you can help protect Vancouver, you are invited to join Columbia Riverkeeper and our partners for an Oil Train Terminal Workshop:

Oil Train Workshop

Thursday, April 13th, 6:30 – 8:00 PM

International Longshore and Warehouse Union Hall, located at 1205 Ingalls St. Vancouver, WA 98660

In coming weeks, we expect Washington’s Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council (EFSEC) to release a draft air pollution permit for Tesoro Savage and to schedule an important public hearing in Vancouver. This hearing may be our last opportunity to speak to EFSEC before it makes a recommendation to Governor Inslee about whether the oil terminal should go forward.

On Thursday, April 13th at 6:30 PM, we will discuss the Tesoro Savage oil train proposal with a particular focus on its toxic air pollution. We’ll help you develop ideas for your own testimony, and make plans to have strong community representation at the hearing and during the final decision-making process.

Since it was announced in 2013, the proposed Tesoro oil train terminal has drawn fierce opposition. Riverkeeper and the Stand Up to Oil campaign have joined in opposition to Tesoro with local neighborhood leaders, businesses, longshore workers, health professionals, climate activists, conservationists, the City of Vancouver, the City of Portland, the City of Spokane, tribal nations, Washington’s Department of Natural Resources, and Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson.
We are at a critical moment in the fight to protect Vancouver and the State of Washington from dangerous oil trains – and we need you to join us to make our final push to victory!

2 Responses to “Last Train: Speak Up As Washington Nears Final Decision on Tesoro Oil Terminal!”

I am appalled to hear that this project is still in the works, and hope that you will be able to add my voice in serious protest.

Oil, along with coal (and soon enough, natural gas) is no longer a sustainable industry or economy. Oil and transport companies will do far better, not just for our climate crisis, but for the economy and their employees if they would make the essential shift away from fossil fuels to renewable energy resources.

This pipeline project should not proceed, and efforts should be made to turn the irrevocable corner away from the fossil fuel addiction. Even a major fuel company, Exxon, is paying attention to the writing on the wall.

In May 2017, Hanford made national news when a tunnel containing highly radioactive waste partially collapsed, triggering a shelter-in-place order for nearby workers and prompting widespread concerns about Hanford’s aging nuclear infrastructure. The U.S. Department of Energy (Energy) filled the tunnel with grout, a form of cement. Now, Energy seeks to fill a second, larger tunnel with grout. if left in place, the pollution in the tunnels—known as the PUREX tunnels—could pose long-term risks to soils, groundwater, and the Columbia River.

PGE wants to increase smog-forming pollution at its Carty Generating Station, a 450 MW fracked gas-fired power plant. The plant began operating in 2016. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) new draft air pollution permit would allow the Carty Generating Station to emit 800% more volatile organic compounds, a key component of low-level ozone (smog) formation. Join Riverkeeper urging DEQ to hold PGE to its current pollution limits, and not to open the door to more pollution from PGE’s new fracked gas power plant. ACT NOW!